I Fall on you
by Yusagi
Summary: Rufus falls back on an old friend in his last hour. Note: This was written before there was so much as an Advent Children TEASER. I've seenthe movie, I KNOW what happens, and I'm NOT changing the fic. If you'd like to interpret it differently, feel free.


Disclaimer: I do not own SquareEnix...though I am lucky enough to get so many FF7 spinoffs alluva sudden ;)

AN: This was part of a challenge I gave myself...make as many odd-couple ff7 fic as you can...ones that no body should think of. ( this one, is fairly obvious, though)

I did have some difficulty keeping it 'cannon', though.

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_**I Fall On You**_

" Sir!! The creature is approaching!!!" The soldier said crisply, saluting. " What is your order?!!"

" I have none."

" Sir?"

" _I-have-none!!!_" He snapped, " Understand me?!"

" Y-Yes sir!!" The soldier replied, swallowing nervously.

" Leave me!!"

" R-Reno...??" She whispered, as she crawled up to the red-head's crumpled form, shaking him, " Reno!"

The man made no response.

Desperately, she turned him towards her, to her horror, he was covered in blood, the marks from the battle leaving him barely recognizable.

For one, horrifying, moment, she thought he was dead, and then she noticed he was still breathing, shallowly, and very erratically, but breathing all the same.

But he was bleeding so much! If they didn't get help soon....she glanced over at the crumpled form of he other companion, Rude...he had a terrible gash on his head, but was breathing as well....for now.

Where had her Cure materia gone?? Would it end like this??

_No!_

" _SOME ONE HELP ME!!!!!!!_"

He looked out the window cooly, the ungodly creature would be upon them soon...and he had no doubt that they would fail to defend against it.

He had intended to rule with an iron fist, to govern with fear, to keep the people shivering in the shadow, afraid even to speak a word against him, lest they face unimaginable horrors...and yet, now, fear welled up inside of him, and threatened to consume him.

" Elena..." He whispered, " _Soldier!!_"

Immediately, his personal guard burst in, expecting intruders of some sort.

" Bring me Elena. You will find her not far from the city."

" Yes, Mr. President!"

Time blended into a blind numbness, as Elena tried vainly to tend the wounds of her fallen comrades, who had valiantly protected her from all but minor wounds...they would both die soon, she had no medical experience, and even if she did, she was fairly certain she would not have the tools to aid them, in any case...she was, and always would be, alone....she had been so ecstatic when they had informed her... she was to be a new Turk...her every dream was coming true....she was even working directly with _Tseng!!_

But then, Rufus had known her dreams all along....that was why she had been chosennot for her qualifications, but for her assets.

And because of her...Tseng....Reno...even Rude....heck, everyone was going to die now, after she had failed in something so simple as destroying, or even _halting_ the WEAPONs progress.

_I'm so worthless, I couldn't even _recruit

" Turk Elena!" Saluted a crisp voice.

Instantly, she whipped her head up, drawing her gun, wary of anyone who might find her here....why would Rufus send a rescue party out for her? He wasn't the type to repeat mistakes like letting high-school crushes, however unrequited, err his judgement.

The soldier cleared his throat, reminding her of his presence, and said, " The President has summoned you, we have brought medics for your fellow Turks, just in case.

Summoned her? What did that mean...?

" Take me to him." she nodded.

The WEAPON has inched uncomfortably closer by the time a rap came from the door.

" Enter."

As he turned towards the door, a blonde angel stepped into his office...ironic he would use 'angel'....her hair was disheveled, there was dirt and blood smeared all across her clothes, hands, and face....and her sky-blue eyes looked strangely distant.

" Elena..." He breathed, then remembered the soldier standing with her, he turned towards the men, and curtly dismissed them.

" Rufus." She said simply.

" What happened?"

Her gaze shifted to the ground, and her lips trembled slightly, despair choking her voice, " Reno's dying....and Rude's hurt bad....we....we couldn't stop the WEAPON....we couldn't even slow it!"

" I meant, what happened to _you_...."

"W-We were overpowered...we tried to stop it! B-but.....it...that thing....it's indestructible!" She continued, seemingly obvious to his last comment, tears shimmering in her eyes.

" Elena..." He warned, walking up to her, " There was nothing you could do, I understand that....but that's not why I sent for you."

She smiled slightly, looking up at him, " Rufus...."

" Even from here...It's just so huge...." She whispered, swallowing nervously, " How will we stop it?"

" We can't."

She shook her head slowly, despair crashing over her in waves...they had thought themselves invincible only weeks ago...how could this be happening now? Were they really going to die? All of them??

He touched her shoulder softly, " I'm sorry...I've tried everything I have on he beast....you were there in Junon! They're just unstoppable!"

" I....I know....I never blamed you..." she whispered, choking back a sob, " It's just....I'm so afraid!!"

He moved behind her, and encircled her tightly within his arms.

" Me too." He whispered. " But together we don't have to be."

" Can it be that easy?"

" Only if we pretend..."

" Rufus.."

" Please..." He pleaded, turning her towards him, " Without you...I don't know if I..."

He cut off and looked away, ashamed.

His orange hair hung loosely in his face, and his sky-blue eyes shone faintly with unshed tears...perhaps of fear, perhaps of despair...

She had always known of his feelings toward her, but there had always been someone else...like Tseng.

How could she turn away now? When he looked to her so desperately for support, when all else had failed him, how could she so coldly turn away?

She would never do such a thing.

" Rufus..." She sobbed, hugging him, " I..."

" I know..." He whispered, holding her like a lifeline, " Were this cruel world any different, I would have wished you to be my wife."

" I know." She smiled, and kissed him.

Silently, he slipped out of the room, leaving the sleeping angel to rest in peace.

" Take her out of Midgar, as far as possible...as fast as possible, _nothing_ is to happen to her, you understand?" He ordered the guard who had been assigned to guard the room. " And....try to let her sleep it through...."

" 'it', sir?"

" Just move!"

Quickly, the soldier nodded, and hurried into the room where Elena lied.

Cooly, Rufus walked up to his window, the WEAPON was almost on them now, even though AVALANCHE had intercepted the creature, they were unable to stop it....it was only a matter of time before they, and their blonde-haired leader, either ran, or died.

There had been only one choice, unlikely as it was, dangerous, as well...it would leave Midgar defenseless if it failed, but if it meant even a chance, no matter how slim, that Elena would survive....nothing else mattered.

Soon, as expected, the WEAPON resumed it's solemn march towards the city, and Rufus could hear the massive cannon powering up to full capacity.

If the cannon truly _could_ cut through that monster, and even make it to, and destroy, the barrier around the even that blast destroy WEAPON?

Deep inside, a voice whispered that it simply wasn't possible.

Then, chaos struck. Simultaneously, all the lights and power shut down in Midgar, as the reactors were drained, and the massive cannon fired.

It's recoil shook the city so fiercely, that it seemed some giant creature had risen from the earth, taken it's enormous hands, and rattled the city about furiously, blowing out every unprotected window.

Rufus' eyes never left the WEAPON, the machine rounds it unloaded before being sliced through by the cannon did not go unnoticed by the young man, but he did not even flinch as the bits of white-hot metal neared so close it lit the office room he stood in like day.

As the missiles breached the once-proud ShinRa HQ, he whispered one, final, goodbye.

She came awake with a start.

_Where am I?....Am I out of the city?? Why?_

"You're awake?" An unfamiliar said out of nowhere, " You're outside of Midgar, headed to the Mythril Mines. President's orders."

" What about the WEAPON?!"

Frantically, she looked up from her Chocobo-perched carriage. The Sister Ray's blast sent the WEAPON flying backwards, cutting it cleanly through, but the monstrous shells fired by the beast shot straight towards ShinRa HQ...and Rufus.

"_NO!!!_"

" Careful miss! You'll scare the chocobo!"

The man's words were lost to her, as she stared, transfixed, on the horrible blasts as they connected with the ShinRa Tower. The brilliant explosion caused her to wince away for but a moment, and when she looked back up, all that remained of the upper-half of the tower was smoking ruins.

Annihilated. Completely lost. They were all gone...her friends, her family....

_Rufus..._

"_N-nnooooo!!!_"

End

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AN: Kind of strange, eh? But then, that's my style...Oh yeah, Elena only THINKS all of her friends died, naturally. Though Rufus did die.

Yusagi Sombermoon


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